Love Beyond Time
by Evee9109
Summary: "I wish I could have five lives. Then I could have been born in five different towns, and eaten five lifetimes worth of food, and had five different careers, and fallen in love with the same person five times." A story about a love that transcends time.
1. Chapter 1: First Life

Love Beyond Time

Author's Note this idea sprouted after I read this quote online, _"I wish I could have five lives. Then I could have been born in five different towns, and eaten five lifetimes worth of food, and had five different careers, and fallen in love with the same person five times." There will be FIVE stories in one in this fanfic. Four of them taking place in different eras in time. The fifth will be the canon timeline with a few minor changes (I hope). I wont give away what other time periods I'll use because I haven't decided any else. If you have any ideas please let me know in a Private Message. I decided to rate this fanfic T for violence and language although the Rating __**may **__change later on. Thanks to _**Madness Abe**_and _**Cherry Blossoms 1991 **_for their help and ideas. This is only the prologue and the beginning of IchiHime's story.  
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**Disclaimer**: Bleach rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I don't own anything nor am I making any profit from this. This is only a _**Fan**_fiction. Read and Review! Constructive criticism is very much appreciated.

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><p><em>If you were looking to read a story of a love that conquers all and happily ever afters, well you've come to the wrong-or perhaps right-place. This is a story of two star-crossed lovers whose love, innocent and genuine, has transcended both death and time.<em>

_Theirs is a love filled with tragedy, sorrow and loss. A love that has never been as it ends before it can even begin. So listen well to this tale of a love that goes beyond death and a curse that tears them apart in their every lifetime._

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

**_Feudal Japan_**

The sun was rising to its highest point as the rays stretch across the horizon. The skies were clear and blue as white fluffy clouds decorated them with their wispy shapes. The weather was hot in the countryside. A slight breeze drifts through granting everyone with a minor reprieve from the torrid heat.

Under the cover of a cherry blossom tree, a young man rests, drinking from a sack of water to replenish himself after a long and arduous training session. He poured the remains of the water on his head hoping that it would help him cool off from the blistering heat since shedding his haroi hadn't helped. Drops of water trickle down from his spiky orange hair down to his lean and muscular body imprinted with hundreds of scars, relics of the many battles he had fought-and won.

He had witnessed so much death and destruction in his short seventeen years of life that these events had hardened his heart and left him hollow and empty. He gazed over the landscape with his golden brown eyes, not really seeing the beauty of it all. He wasn't blind; He just had lost the ability to see and appreciate life in all of its splendor.

He had lost his childhood and his innocence almost five years ago, when his family had been brutally slain by rogue samurai loyal only to their own avarice. But he knew that someone else had to have been behind the massacre of most of his clan and family. He knew that it had been a powerful daimyo that had begun to fear that his clan would become too powerful and depose him of his authority. So in order to prevent that from happening, the daimyo had ordered their annihilation. He had not been in the village when his family had been killed. He had not been there to protect his mother and his unborn brother or sister. But even if he had been there, there wasn't much a young boy of thirteen could have done to save anyone. Still, knowing that wasn't enough to wash away the guilt and anger he felt.

His father, the leader of the clan had also been killed, leaving him as the new clan's head but then he had been too young and so he had left his uncle to take charge. Since then, he had trained to become stronger so he could protect the innocent and never again see someone lose a loved one as he had. He had sworn upon his families grave that he would never let someone close to him die when its in his power to protect them.

"Ichigo." a voice called out to him from the valley below. The voice broke him away from his thoughts as he looked down to see who had called him. It was his best friend and sparring partner, Ulquiorra who had come looking for him.

"What do you want, Ulquiorra?" Ichigo replied with a grimace. He hated being interrupted when he trained. Unless Ulquiorra had come to spar, he really didn't want to talk.

"Aizen sent me to find you. He wants to see you right away." Ulquiorra said with a detached tone as he came over to him. He was one of the very few people who knew how to deal with Ichigo and his volatile temper. That was probably one of the reasons they got along so well. Whereas Ulquiorra was composed and rarely showing emotion, Ichigo on the other hand was hot-headed and easily angered. "He said it was urgent."

"Whatever Aizen has to say can wait. I am training right now." Ichigo said as he picked up his sword from the ground. "I don't have time to deal with anything else. I have to become stronger."

"I can understand that, Ichigo. That you train to become strong as to never suffer loss." Ulquiorra said. "But for now you have to go see Aizen. What he has to say is of utmost importance. It concerns the daimyo who slaughtered our clan."

Those words caused Ichigo to stop in his tracks. Anger and hatred burned within his heart. The other reason he had trained himself so much was because he wanted to take revenge against the man who was responsible for his family's deaths. He wanted to kill that man with his own to hands and he'd be damned if he didn't.

XxXxX

"I'm here, Aizen." Ichigo said as he arrived in his uncle's quarters. His uncle looked up at him with a stern look on his face. Aizen's expression was unreadable and Ichigo felt uneasy for some reason he could not comprehend. "Ulquiorra told me you have news to tell me about that bastard who slaughtered most of our clan and my family. Did you find out who he is?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did." Aizen said. "I've finally found out the identity of that man who ordered the massacre."

Aizen paused looking up at his nephew who looked as if he was about to explode from rage. "I see you have been out training again by yourself, Ichigo."

"Stop putting off the subject and tell me what I want to know!" Ichigo said clenching his teeth, attempting to keep his fury under control. But he was failing miserably.

"The daimyo who ordered the massacre was a man named Sora. He rules over the lands of the East. He took charge after his father's death, which coincidently was not long before the massacre. Don't you find it slightly strange that the former Daimyo died so suddenly? And then his son takes charge and the first thing he does is mass murdering a village. Of assassins surely, but he killed innocents as well such as your mother."

"Are you saying that he killed his father?" Ichigo asked in disbelief. "Its one thing killing strangers but killing his own father?"

"I don't know if he killed his father or not but I do know that its rather disturbing and too convenient for it to be a coincidence." Aizen replied looking rather lively for one who just received word on the identity of his clan's assassin or rather the mastermind behind it.

"That bastard. I swear that I will kill him." Ichigo growled as his anger permeated the air around them. "I will avenge our fallen comrades. Our families and loved ones who were killed because of him. Sora will regret what he did."

"I'm sure that you will avenge our clan. Your father would be proud to see the man that you've become. Make him proud." Aizen said.

Ichigo nodded. His father had been killed trying to protect everyone. His father died a hero and Ichigo would do everything in his power to uphold his honor. Finally, Ichigo would carry out his promise and avenge everything that he had held near and dear to him.

"Before you go. I would like to tell you one more thing. Something quite interesting." Aizen said in a sly tone. "It would seem that Sora has something that he holds dear, or rather someone. His younger sister, Orihime. She is the primary motive behind Sora's actions. If you were to kill her..."

"What are you insinuating, Aizen? Are you suggesting that I kill an innocent girl?" Ichigo spat.

"No, I am not. I am merely pointing out your options. Sora holds her up in a pedestal and he loves her above all else. Imagine the devastating blow you could cause him by killing her. Giving him a taste of his own medicine." Aizen said as a small smile grazed his mouth. "Imagine the pain he will feel losing a loved one. The very same pain you endured with the death of your family. He will be devastated by grief knowing that his precious sister died because of his actions. An eye for an eye."

"I don't know what I am going to do. But I can assure you that Sora will pay!" Ichigo said dangerously as he stormed out the door.

OoOoO

The weather was quite beautiful if only slightly humid. It was late in the afternoon and the heat was starting to lessen as the hours passed. It was just as well because twilight was not far off. Despite the humidity, the day was rather nice.

In the garden of the Daimyo's mansion, a young woman with long burnt orange locks sat near a small pond, not caring that her green flower printed kimono got slightly dirty. The pond was filled with exotic koi fish, gently dipping her fingers in the water as each koi passed them. Rather than swimming away, the koi seemed to be drawn to her as if they sensed her kindness. She smiled slightly as she watched the koi swim in the pond.

Her gray violet eyes were staring absentmindedly as her mind wandered as it typically did. She had come here to be alone after she had an argument with her brother. She felt bad about it now and now that she thought about it, she knew that she had hurt her brother's feelings. Guilt coursed through her as she recalled everything she'd said.

She hated causing pain to another person and being the kindhearted woman that she was, it bothered her to no end. She knew she had to apologize to her brother, Sora, because she had been out of line. After all, her brother has always so kind and gentle towards her. He had taken care of her since she was young after their mother died and their father had been too busy to take care of her himself. Sora was the one who had looked after her, always making sure that she was happy at his own expense. Even after the death of their father, he still continued to look out for her despite his new responsibilities as the daimyo. She knew should be grateful with everything she has but something inside of her wouldn't let her. Her heart yearned for something that she wasn't quite sure what it was.

"Orihime, are you alright?" a feminine voice asked behind her. It was her aunt Rangiku who had come looking for her after her argument with Sora. She knew that there was something that was troubling her young niece. She sensed that it was something important but she knew better than to pry if Orihime didn't want to talk about it. It hurt her to see her niece so unhappy and not her usual bubbly self.

"I'm fine, Aunt Rangiku." Orihime replied barely above a whisper which told Rangiku that she was totally not fine.

"Are you sure, Hime? Are you sure that you are really okay? You know that you could trust me with whatever it is that is worrying you." Rangiku reassured as she sat down beside her niece.

"I was just thinking about what I said to Sora. I was mean and cruel to my brother when all he has ever done was take care of me." Orihime said as tears burned in her eyes. "I told him...I told him that I hated him and now I...I feel so horrible. I didn't mean it. Sora is probably going to hate me now."

"Oh dear child," Rangiku said as she pulled her niece into a hug comforting the young woman as she broke into sobs. "I know you didn't mean it. I know that and Sora knows that as well. He could never hate you, Orihime. You are his little sister and he loves you above all else. He won't hate you for that."

"But why? I said some very horrible things to him. "He should hate me. I am nothing but a burden to him. He'd be better off if I was gone. He wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. He could live happily." Orihime choked between sobs.

"No. Don't say that. You know that Sora would be heartbroken without you. You are special to him and to me as well, my little Hime." Rangiku said. "Now dry up those tears. I don't like seeing those pretty little eyes sad."

Orihime smiled slightly as she wiped away her tears. "Thank you, Aunt Rangiku. Thank you for always being here for me."

"You don't have anything to thank me for. I will always be here for you. You're like a daughter to me and I love you." Rangiku said as she kissed her niece on lightly on the forehead. "Now, tell me...Why were you arguing with your brother?"

"Oh, its just that I wanted to go out. I have hardly ever gone out of the mansion. I just wanted to go to town for a little while but Sora refused. He said its dangerous for me to go outside but I told him I wouldn't go alone. Rukia and Tatsuki were going to come along with me and maybe some of the guards could have accompanied us." Orihime said frowning slightly. "And we would have worn disguises so no one could recognize us."

"Well it is dangerous out there but I really don't see a problem in going out for a while. I'll talk to your brother and see if I can get him to agree to let you go for a little while." Rangiku said with a mischievous tone. Orihime smiled.

"You would do that for me! Oh thank you, Auntie, thank you so much." Orihime squealed with joy.

"Of course I would. You are my favorite niece after all." Rangiku told her with a laugh. "Just promise me that if you do go out there, you'll be careful and stay with the guards. Do not wander off on your own."

"Yes, I promise." Orihime said hugging her aunt. Then she paused for a moment as her aunt's words sunk in. "But I am your only niece, Aunt Rangiku."

"I know that you are. Now come let's go see your brother." Rangiku said as she and Orihime sat up.

"Alright but first I have to say goodbye to Ayame, Baigon, Hinagiku, Lily, Shu'no and Tsubaki." Orihime said in a excited tone. Her aunt looked at her in confusion.

"Orihime, who on earth are they? Are they friends of yours. Were they here with you?" Rangiku asked.

"They're right here." Orihime said pointing to the koi in the pond. Rangiku looked at her for a moment and then giggled slightly. It was just like Orihime to have named the fish.

"Alright say goodbye to them and we'll go talk to Sora."

Orihime nodded as she said goodbye to each of the koi calling each by name. afterwards the two women walked back towards the mansion unaware that someone had been watching them. Their eyes focused on the young Orihime.

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><p><em>Author's Note: So there it is the first chapter of the story .I hope you enjoyed it. I am working on the next chapter and I'll update as quickly as possible. I am writing several stories alongside this one so I can't promise a quick update. I kept the names of the characters for a couple of reasons. One because I was lazy to change them. Two because it would be confusing if I did. Three because I thought that it was for the best. I have another reason but I cant say that just yet. You'll have to keep reading to find out. I'm trying to use the canon characters as much as possible. Their lives are all intertwined even before the canon events. There are definitely many secrets and plenty of surprises that will be uncovered as the story goes by. If you have questions PM me or review and I will try to answer without giving too much of the plot away. <em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Love Beyond Time**

Author's Note: First off, I would like to thank **Madness Abe**, **Rochelleteentitan**, **Anom**, **himelove22**, **AbaraiArekushisu**, **Sariniste**, **XtremeGal87** and **Cherry Blossoms 1991** for reviewing. I'd also like to thank those of you who added this to their favorites or alerts. And I have to thank **Madness Abe** for ideas and **Cherry Blossoms 1991 **for beta-reading. I sincerely hope that you keep reading and reviewing. Keep in mind that reviews encourage writing.

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><p><strong>XxXxX<strong>

**Feudal Japan**

Ichigo sighed in exasperation as he sat in a small sweets shop in the town closest to the daimyo's mansion. He had only arrived earlier that morning after traveling from the village where the remains of his once great clan had taken refuge. It was a very small village that aided them in their time of need. He was so close to achieving his objective that he was even more apprehensive than usual. Perhaps the main reason he was increasingly irate was because this shop was owned by Kisuke Urahara, a close friend of his father's and formerly a member of the Kurosaki clan. He had left once Aizen took over as the clan's head.

Urahara was the type of man who didn't take anything very seriously and was always acting childishly. He thought that life was one big party and having fun was essential. That was why he irritated Ichigo to no end. Normally, Ichigo wouldn't have come looking for his help but unfortunately Urahara was his best bet for information.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Urahara said as he walked over to the corner booth where Ichigo was sitting. "If it isn't little Ichigo here to see me. How may I be of service?"

"You know why I am here." Ichigo said glaring at Urahara who hid his face behind a hand fan. "Aizen told me you were the one who discovered the identity of the man who ordered our clan's massacre."

"Well, not exactly. I found out greatly by coincidence. Perhaps it was a twist of fate. I saw one of the samurai who murdered the clan. He goes by the name of Nnoitra Jiruga." Urahara said in a very serious tone. "I remembered seeing him when your father, Aizen and I went back to protect our people. I fought another man and killed him. Your father and Aizen went after Nnoitra but he escaped but not before killing your father. He worked for Sora and his father before him."

"You saw him but you didn't kill him!" Ichigo bellowed in rage. "My father's murderer was within your reach and you did nothing."

"There wasn't much I could have done, Ichigo." Urahara answered in a flat tone.

"Like hell there wasn't!" Ichigo said.

"Listen to me Ichigo. I am telling you that I couldn't do anything. This Nnoitra is powerful. If he was able to kill your father who was the best then what chance do I have against him." Urahara reasoned. "Besides, I have a reputation to uphold in this town. I can't just go about killing men out of the blue."

Ichigo tore his gaze away from Urahara. He didn't want to admit it out loud but he knew that the blond man was right. He would have to find this Nnoitra and kill him himself. "Where can I find this Nnoitra?"

"I don't know where his whereabouts are. He just rolls around town with a few other samurai every once in a while." Urahara answered. "So what are you planning, Ichigo?"

"I am not sure but I have to find a way to get into Sora's mansion and kill him." Ichigo replied.

"How are you planning on doing that?" The shop owner questioned.

"I don't know yet, but I'll find some way. I swore that I would kill the man responsible for our clan's destruction. I'm not doing it only for my family's sake but for all our fallen comrades as well." Ichigo said.

"I don't know but there are things that just don't add up. Be careful, Ichigo because I have a feeling that there is more to this whole mess than meets the eye." Urahara warned.

Ichigo scoffed. He didn't need Urahara's meaningless babble right now. All that really mattered to him was to find a way to get into the daimyo's mansion and kill him. All the training he had put himself would have been in vain if he didn't do anything.

**OoOoO**

Orihime looked around in awe as her eyes took in every single detail about the small town. It had taken her Aunt Rangiku and her days to convince her brother Sora to allow her to leave the mansion but they finally did. Only after promising to be careful and not to wander away on her own did Orihime get what she wanted.

She felt that there was something important waiting for her out here so she was very excited. This was an adventure in of itself and she couldn't wait to explore more.

"Wait up, Orihime!" her best friend Tatsuki Arisawa said as she and her other friend Rukia Kuchiki struggled to catch their breath as they finally caught up to the orange haired girl. They were exhausted of running after Orihime who seemed to have more energy than a child high on sugar.

"Oh sorry, Tatsuki and Rukia. I'm just so excited to be out here that I guess I got carried away." Orihime said as she smiled sheepishly at her two friends. "The town is just so lively and beautiful. I'm so happy that Sora let me come."

"I get what you mean. My brother won't let me leave the mansion either." Rukia huffed.

"Well, I'm glad that I'm not from a wealthy family." Tatsuki said. She was the daughter of two servants who worked for Orihime's family. Tatsuki's mother had been the woman who had nursed Orihime because her own mother had died two days after she was born. That was one of the reasons why the two girls had grown up together and were inseparable. Tatsuki was also very protective of Orihime and threatened to disembowel anyone who dared to hurt her friend physically or emotionally. It was just as well because Orihime was too kind to everyone even those who wished her harm.

Tatsuki remembered an incident in which two other maids, Loly and Menoly, had harassed Orihime out of jealousy when they were younger. Orihime had kept silent about the incident because she didn't want those two girls to get in trouble. They would have been severely punished for hurting her. She would always lie about how she got each new scratch or bruise. But Tatsuki knew better and had confronted those two to stop hurting Orihime or there would be hell to pay. Those two knew better than to cross Tatsuki who was a great fighter so they gave up.

Rukia on the other hand was the younger sister of the great samurai, Byakuya Kuchiki. They had come to live with at the mansion with the daimyo and his children seven years ago and served the Inoue family faithfully. Tatsuki and Orihime were quick to befriend Rukia and the three have become like sisters to one another. Despite her petite size, Rukia was just as fierce as anyone. She also took it upon herself to keep Orihime safe from harm.

"Not that I'm trying to be a nuisance but shouldn't we not get too far ahead from the guards that your brother assigned to watch over us" Tatsuki said. "I realize that we are disguised as ordinary villagers to avoid unwanted attention but we still can't let down our guard."

"You're right, Tatsuki." Rukia acknowledged. "Although, I wouldn't mind seeing the look on Abarai's face if we were to 'disappear' for a while."

"You just want to tease him, don't you?" Tatsuki said smiling slyly at the raven haired girl. "Do you like Renji?"

"What? No way" Rukia said a little too loudly. "How can you say that? Of course I don't like him. He's too rowdy and arrogant. Not to mention that he teases me of my stature all the time. If he weren't a great samurai...Can we change the subject now?"

Orihime, seeing her friend struggling to keep calm, decided to intervene. "Oh, can we go to the sweet shop or perhaps to get some ramen. Can we? Please?"

"Of course, Hime, let's go." Tatsuki said as they began heading to the nearest shop. The three girls ran. Their guards, Renji Abarai and Shuhei Hisagi followed behind, albeit inconspicuously as not to attract attention to the fact that they were guarding the daimyo's sister and her ladies-in-waiting.

Unbeknownst to them, a man was following behind them. He looked rather ordinary with short black hair and lavender eyes. His gaze never left Orihime as a smile spread across his face.

"Soon you will be mine, my little princess. You will be mine forever and nobody will ever break us apart ever again." He said to himself.

**XxXxX**

Ichigo had left Urahara's shop in frustration. He was so close to avenging his clan but at the same time he was too far. He still had absolutely no clue how he would go about accomplishing his mission.

He had to find a way to get to the mansion. He had to kill Sora. He wouldn't be able to live with himself otherwise.

He walked along the village, his mind riddled with thoughts. Urahara had advised him not to do anything rash. And when Ichigo had told him Aizen's suggestion that he should kill Orihime, Urahara immediately spoke against it. He had told him that wouldn't be right. Orihime was innocent and didn't deserve anything bad to happen to her regardless of her brother's actions.

Ichigo was infuriated, countering that Sora hadn't spared the innocent. He didn't want to think too much about that right now. The matter about this Orihime would have to wait.

An ear-piercing scream broke through his thoughts causing him to shiver slightly. Suddenly alert, Ichigo tore through the streets heading towards the source of the scream. He could tell it was a woman screaming by the sound of it.

Running through the busy streets, Ichigo made his way through mass of villagers who were going about their business, paying no attention to the screams. If they did hear them, they were certainly doing nothing to help whoever she was that was in danger.

"Do not go after the woman." an old man said as Ichigo passed by him. Ichigo stopped in his tracks looking over at the man. He was old but still looked to be strong despite his age. He had a long white mustache and beard and was leaning on a cane. "She is as good as dead now that Luppi has gotten a hold of her."

"What are you talking about, old man?" Ichigo said in anger. "Who the hell is this Luppi and why are you saying that the woman is as good as dead?"

"Luppi is a notorious man 'round these parts. He is a ruthless mercenary who kidnaps women and kills them without mercy. That woman is doomed. Luppi will kill her and no one can stop him." The old man told Ichigo.

"I can't just sit idly and let this happen. I have to do something to stop that bastard. Preying on innocents is cowardly. Luppi won't harm anyone else, not if I can't help it."

Before the old man could utter a single word, Ichigo ran off again. The old man smiled to himself as he shimmered slightly as he disappeared. "Go to save her, young Ichigo. It is your destiny to save Orihime. Save her from that monster of a man."

Ichigo had run for what felt like a very long time. He didn't stop until he had come upon a dark, desolate alley leading to an abandoned shed. Drawing his sword, Ichigo walked forward into the darkness not knowing what he was up against. He caught a glimpse of two figures, one was a man with dark hair. The other was a young woman with long, orange locks. She was cowering in the corner as the man assaulted her. Her cries reached him and without warning he ran forward, startling the man.

"Who the hell are you?" Luppi growled as he dodged Ichigo's sword.

"Who I am doesn't concern you." Ichigo said. "All that you need to know is that I am here to stop you from hurting another woman."

"Why the hell do you care what I do with my women? That woman is mine and I'm gonna kill her slowly and painfully. Her death would have been quicker if only you hadn't interfered. Right, my Hime. Tell him that you don't need him to save you. Tell him to go away and leave us be." Luppi said in a fanatical tone.

The woman, Hime as Luppi had called her just stood frozen in fear as Ichigo and Luppi fought. She was frightened and her eyes were filled with tears. She was disoriented after what had happened. Ichigo stood his ground and in one fluid motion he attacked Luppi, running him through with his sword. Luppi's eyes widened in disbelief as if he couldn't believe that he had been defeated.

"Damn you." Were the last words Luppi said before his eyes closed, taking his last breath.

Ichigo stood motionless as he saw his opponent die. He had killed many men before in his life and he had always felt slight guilt over killing them because he never really knew who they were. But he felt nothing now after having killed Luppi.

"You...You saved me." The woman said as she slowly walked towards Ichigo cautiously. "Thank you."

Ichigo only nodded slightly before he fell to his knees clutching his side in pain. He was bleeding profusely where Luppi had managed to injure him. The woman ran forward screaming for help but by then, Ichigo couldn't hear her voice anymore. He stared up at her violet gray eyes filled with tears. Her face was the last thing he saw before darkness took him.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: So I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. This took longer for me to write because I wasn't sure how to go about and I really suck at writing fight scenes. Hopefully the next chapter will be better and Ichigo and Orihime will meet properly because this was probably too intense for them both. Please review, if only to ask that I update sooner. Really, many of you might not believe that your reviews mean anything but THEY DO! They encourage us (writers) to keep writing. I mean where would all the authors, novelists and others be if they didn't have fans and people reviewing their works. I know I am just a fanfiction writer but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate a good review and constructive criticism. Reviews help me grow as a writer and help me to see what I need to work on as far<strong>


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